10 Leading Causes of Cancer in Men and Women
Here is a list of 10 most common cancers in men and women across the United States. According to the latest SEER database, 1,762,450 new cases of cancer were diagnosed worldwide, and there were 606,880 deaths from cancer in 2019.
However, the cancer types in men and women vary according to incidence as discussed below. breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis. Lung cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis and prostate cancer is the leading cancer diagnosis among men and the third most common diagnosis overall.
Most Common Cancers in Men and Women
Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer mostly occurs in older men, with the median age at diagnosis being 66 years.
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 9.9% of new cancer cases and 5.2% of deaths due to cancer in United States.
However, prostate cancer is not a deadly disease and about 2.9 million men are currently living with the disease, in the United States (US).
Percentage of people surviving with prostate cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 98%.
The overall mortality of prostate cancer has been declining due to the improvement in the screening procedures during last few decades.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide and is assessed to be the second most frequently diagnosed cancer in men and women in US.
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 12.9% of new cancer cases and 23.5% of deaths due to cancer in United States.
Lung cancer accounts for about 14% of all new incidents of cancer and one-third of all cancer-related deaths in the United States.
Percentage of people surviving with lung cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 19.4%.
The overall incidence and mortality of lung cancer appear to be declining during last decade, which is considered to be the impact of the global tobacco control initiatives.
Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal (colo = colon; rectal = rectum) cancer, is assessed to be the third most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading causes of cancer-related deaths.
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 8.3% of new cancer cases and 8.4% of deaths due to cancer in US.
According to an estimate, colorectal cancer accounted for about 10% of all incidents and mortality of cancer in 2010, in the United States.
The overall incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer have been declining steadily during last few decades.
Percentage of people surviving with colorectal cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 64.4%.
However, the incidence rate of colorectal cancer has significantly increased over the last two decades in patients with age between 20 to 49 years.
Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer mostly occurs in men and generally at a higher age, with the median age at diagnosis being 73 years.
It is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer in US.
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 4.6% of new cancer cases and 2.9% of deaths due to cancer in US.
Percentage of people surviving with bladder cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 77.1%.
The overall incidence and mortality of bladder cancer have been declining slightly with an improvement in the 5-year survival rates during last few decades, in the United States.
Melanoma of the skin
Skin cancer is mainly divided into 2 types, melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers.
The incidence rate of non-melanoma skin cancers is highest among all cancer types; however, due to the good prognosis, it accounts for less than 0.1% of all cancer-related deaths.
On the other hand, melanoma accounts for about 1% of all skin cancers but causes most cancer-related deaths.
According to 2019 data, melanoma accounts for 5.5% of new cancer cases and 1.2% of deaths due to cancer in US.
Skin cancers are more common among older age individuals with most cases reported at an age between 55 and 74 years.
Percentage of people surviving with melanoma after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 92.2%.
In the US, the overall incidence and mortality of skin cancer have been increasing significantly during the last three decades.
Kidney Cancer
Kidney or Renal cancer is reported to be among the top ten most frequently diagnosed cancers and is considered as the twelfth leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States (US).
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 4.2% of new cancer cases and 2.4% of deaths due to cancer in US.
Percentage of people surviving with kidney cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 74.8%.
The overall incidence rate of kidney cancer has increased during the last few decades despite the declining trend in the mortality rate associated with this cancer type.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL)
NHL is the seventh most common cancer type accounting for about 4.2% of all cancer cases and about 3.3% of all cancer-related deaths in the United States (US).
NHL affect both children and adults but the highest incidences of NHL are observed in individuals aged between 65 and 74 years with the median age at diagnosis of 67 years.
The overall incidence rate of NHL has been decreasing in the last decade while it has increased substantially between 1970 and 2000.
Percentage of people surviving with NHL cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 72%.
The mortality rate of NHL has also declined significantly during the last decade, mainly due to the progress in the understanding of the disease and development of the effective treatment.
Leukemia
Leukemia is divided into four main types: Acute lymphocytic (or lymphoblastic) leukemia (ALL), Acute myeloid (or myelogenous) leukemia (AML), Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and Chronic myeloid (or myelogenous) leukemia (CML).
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 3.5% of new cancer cases and 3.8% of deaths due to cancer in US.
Percentage of people surviving with leukemia after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 62.7%.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
ALL is the most common childhood cancer in the US. The overall incidence of ALL has been increasing slightly during the last decade, while the mortality rate has been decreasing during the same period. ALL is more common at a young age with highest incidences observed in individuals aged below 20 years. The incidence rate of ALL is higher in Caucasians compared to African Americans and is slightly higher in males than in females.
Acute Myeloid leukemia
AML is the most common acute leukemia among adults in the US. The overall incidence and mortality rate of AML has been stable during the last decade. AML more commonly affects older age individuals with highest incidences observed in individuals aged between 65 to 74 years. The incidence rate of AML is slightly higher in males than in females.
Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia
CLL is the most commonly occurring leukemia in the US and western hemisphere accounting for about one-quarter of all leukemia cases. The overall incidence and mortality rate of CLL has been slightly declining during the last decade. CLL more commonly affects older age individuals with highest incidences observed in individuals aged between 65 to 74 years. The incidence rate of CLL is slightly higher in males than in females.
Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
The overall incidence rate of CML has been slightly increasing while the mortality rate of CML has been declining during the last decade. CML more commonly affects older age individuals with highest incidences observed in individuals aged between 65 to 74 years. The incidence rate of CML is slightly higher in males than in females.
Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer is reported to be the ninth most frequently diagnosed cancer and the fourth leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States (US).
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 3.2% of new cancer cases and 7.5% of deaths due to cancer in US.
Percentage of people surviving with pancreatic cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 9.3%.
The overall incidence and mortality rate of pancreatic cancer has increased during the last few decades despite the declining trend in mortality rate associated with other cancer types. This data indicates the deadly nature of the disease.
Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer is assessed to be the most frequently diagnosed endocrine cancer.
According to 2019 data, it accounts for 3.0% of new cancer cases and 0.4% of deaths due to cancer in US.
The overall incidence of thyroid cancer has been increasing during last few decades which is postulated to be the result of improved testing procedures.
Percentage of people surviving with thyroid cancer after 5 years of being diagnosed is around 98.2%.
Thyroid cancer is 2 to 3 times more common in women and mostly occurs at an older age (45 to 54 years) with 51 years as the median age at diagnosis.
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is assessed to be the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related death in women, worldwide.
It accounts for about 15.2% of all new cancer cases and about 6.9% of all cancer-related deaths in the US.
The overall mortality of breast cancer has been declining during last few decades which is postulated to be the result of increased use of the screening procedures and improved treatment approach.
Breast cancer mostly occurs in older women aged 55 to 64 years, with the median age at diagnosis being 62 years.
Uterine Cancer
Uterine cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in the United States (US).
It is estimated to be responsible for about 3.5% of all new cases of cancer and about 2.0% of all cancer deaths in the US.
The overall incidence and mortality of uterine cancer have been increasing during the last decade. Endometrial cancer mostly occurs in women with age between 55 to 64 years.